I feel like I should have a t-shirt made that says, “I got up at 4am and all I got was a lousy 5-4 record on my predictions” after last weekend’s UFC debut in Macau.

Of course, the reality is that the time I got out of bed had nothing to do with my coming away with a 5-4 record, but I like making excuses when I have a rough day at the prediction office.

My secondary excuse is that for the first time in three events, I wasn’t going head-to-head with someone. After dropping a decision to Jeff Zanetta on the UFC on FX 5 card, I rebounding by crushing John Oakes on the UFC 153 card. And when I say “crush” what I really mean is “edged him out 10-9.”

So after going it alone last week, I thought we’d get back to the head-to-head thing. This time around, we’re bringing a lady to the party!

Joyanna Shore is a BCIT Radio Broadcasting grad who summered in Los Angeles working for Shoot Media. Now that she’s home, she’s making her Keyboard Kimura debut right here, right now.

Meet Joyanna and then settle in – these are the Punch Drunk Predictions.

Thanks to Spencer for allowing me to share my predictions on his blog.

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Georges St-Pierre (22-2) vs. Carlos Condit (28-5)

Joyanna: I am so pumped for this fight. It’s awesome that the welterweight division will have a king reigning after this bout. I see this fight starting very technical with both fighters starting to feel their rhythm in the cage. I expect the Canadian champion to strike a little bit before taking this fight to the canvas. Once there, expect him to pound on Condit for several rounds. It won’t be easy, as Condit is dangerous off of his back. Then again, the man they call “Rush” has dealt with BJ Penn off of his back, so he’s very capable there. I predict that Georges St Pierre will have his first win via technical knock out in over 4 years.

Prediction: Georges St Pierre by TKO, Round 4

ESK: I think Condit is a bad match-up for anyone even when they’ve been competing in regular intervals. When you’ve been off for 18 months and are coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, he becomes an even more difficult foe. As great as I think GSP is – and I think he’s one of the best ever – I also think this is the most vulnerable he’s been in some time, and Condit will capitalize. The former WEC champ is aggressive, well-rounded, and isn’t going to be discouraged even if he gets driven into the canvas for two rounds. Somewhere in the third, GSP makes a mistake, and Condit takes advantage to become the undisputed welterweight champion.

Prediction: Carlos Condit by TKO, Round 3

Johny Hendricks (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (20-5)

ESK: These deserved far more attention than they got this week, and the winner of this one is very much deserving of a title shot.
While I think Hendricks will land a good shot early, Kampmann makes a habit of fighting out of rough patches, and is too technical on his feet for “Bigg Rigg.” He also has incredibly underrated takedown defense and a very good ground game too, so even if he does end up on the mat, it’s not the end of the world. Kampmann puts in a workmanlike effort and gets the nod on the cards.

Prediction: Martin Kampmann by Unanimous Decision

JS: In my humble opinion, I do believe that Kampmann has fought much tougher competition than Johny Hendricks. Yes, Hendricks is coming off an impressive win over Jon Fitch, but I don’t think he won his split decision win over Koscheck. Hendricks will have to come out fast in order to beat Kampmann. He has good wrestling and a great left hand, but we saw how Kampmann handled his last fight against Jake Ellenberger, a guy who comes at full speed and doesn’t stop. Kampmann was able to survive against “The Juggernaut” and finish him with beautiful knees. I see “The Hitman” walking through anything that Hendricks throws at him before taking him down and finishing him off with his amazing jiu-jitsu skills.

Prediction: Martin Kampmann by Submission, Round 3

Tom Lawlor (8-4, 1 NC) vs. Francis Carmont (19-7)

JS: To be honest, I don’t understand why the UFC put this fight on the main card, especially over John Makdessi vs. Sam Stout. Nonetheless, this should be a pretty good fight. Lawlor is a very up and down type fighter; he wins one fight and then loses the next. Carmont, on the other hand, is working on his fourth win in the UFC. Even though Carmont doesn’t have his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, his opponents have suffered with underestimating his game. Both these fighters are going to want to put on a great performance and show that they are still valuable to the UFC. I see this fight taking place all over the octagon with Carmont doing most of the damage. Carmont will dominate on the ground and will get the submission late in the second round.

Prediction: Francis Carmont by Submission, Round 2

ESK: I honestly don’t get why so many people are upset about this fight being on the main card. Carmont has won three straight, and this is a showcase opportunity for him. It’s not like the UFC hasn’t rolled out fights like this on the main card of a pay-per-view before, geesh!
Carmont has looked more at home and more improved with each performance, and as charismatic and entertaining as Lawlor is at open workouts, heading to the scales, and on his walk to the cage, I don’t think he makes it through the opening round of this one.

Prediction: Francis Carmont by TKO, Round 1

Costa Philippou (11-2, 1 NC) vs. Nick Ring (13-1)

ESK: I really like Nick Ring – nice guy, solid fighter, and he’s Canadian – but I really think he should be 1-3 in the UFC. Philippou, on the other hand, has earned his 4-1 mark, and is the kind of heavy hitting striker that is tough for anyone to beat. I expect Philippou to be more aggressive this time around, and land with force throughout the 15-minute affair, leaving little room for the judges to get it wrong, save for a complete Montreal Screwjob.

Prediction Costa Philippou by Unanimous Decision

JS: UFC 149 was a total disaster for the UFC, not so much for Nick Ring who was on the right side of his decision win against Court McGee when many, including myself, thought that McGee had won the fight. Both these fighters are very good on the ground and I like Costa’s style of brawling. I don’t think that Ring stands a chance against Philippou. Costa proved that he could take a poke in the eye late in the round in his last fight against Riki Fukuda, and yet still come out to finish him. Philippou will likely do the same thing to Ring. He has fought the tougher fights. This fight will go the distance with Philippou getting his hand raised.

Prediction Costa Philippou by Unanimous Decision

Pablo Garza (11-3) vs Mark Hominick (21-11)

JS: “The Scarecrow” hasn’t fought since May of this year, and coming off consecutive losses, Garza is looking for redemption. Hominick will also be looking to turn his luck around,coming into this one with three straight losses.
Both these fighters are very fast in their fights. I do see Hominick looking to be more technical like he was in his last fight (Eddie Yagin) which won Fight of the Night. I have played this fight over and over in my head and have had many different outcomes. I do believe that Hominick is going to feed off the Canadian crowd and push the pace. He has great takedown defense, which was shown in his fight against Jose Aldo and is very skilled with his hands. He reminds me of the bantamweight champ, Dominick Cruz. I see this fight going the distance with Hominick landing the more significant strikes. However, Garza is very good off his back and Hominick will have to avoid taking Garza down.

Prediction: Mark Hominick by Unanimous Decision

ESK: A lot of people think Hominick has enter “The Miguel Torres Zone” where he just doesn’t have anything left. I think those people are wrong, but I’m biased because I know Mark, I like Mark, and I want the best for Mark.

Here’s the thing: last year was insanely emotional for Hominick. I don’t think he should have remained in his fight with Chan Sung Jung at UFC 140, and while he made some mistakes early against Eddie Yagin, he still looked very good over the final round. Now that he’s had time to get settled into working with Jeff Curran, get refocused on his career, and put some of the ups and downs of dealing with the loss of his coach and best friend, I think we’ll see a return to form from “The Machine” in this one

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